2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leerssen
A Dutch surname derived from the word "leer" meaning "leather", likely referring to an occupation associated with leather-working.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Leerssen. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leerssen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Leerssen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leerssen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leerssen
The surname Leerssen is of Dutch origin, originating in the regions of the Netherlands during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "leer," meaning "leather," suggesting an occupational name for someone involved in the leather trade, such as a tanner or leather worker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Leerssen name dates back to the 16th century in the city of Amsterdam, where records show a certain Pieter Leerssen, a leather merchant, who lived between 1550 and 1612. Another notable individual was Dirck Leerssen, a renowned Dutch painter from the 17th century, known for his vivid landscape paintings depicting the Dutch countryside.
In the late 16th century, the Leerssen name appeared in the town of Leiden, where a family of tanners and leather workers resided. This family played a significant role in the local leather industry, and their name can be found in various municipal records and guild documents from that era.
As the Dutch explored and established colonies around the world, the Leerssen name spread to other regions. In the 17th century, a notable figure named Jan Leerssen was a Dutch East India Company official stationed in Java, now part of Indonesia. He oversaw the company's trade operations in the region and left a lasting impact on the local economy.
Another prominent individual with the Leerssen surname was Cornelis Leerssen, a Dutch architect born in 1712, who was renowned for his innovative and ornate baroque-style buildings across the Netherlands. Some of his most famous works include the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam and the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Leerssen name continued to be associated with various professions, including merchants, artisans, and academics. Notable figures from this period include Johannes Leerssen, a Dutch professor of philosophy and linguistics at the University of Amsterdam in the late 18th century, and Willem Leerssen, a renowned 19th-century Dutch botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leerssen
Among Census respondents with the surname Leerssen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Leerssen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Leerssen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leerssen
Leerssen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
+23 bearers (+20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 10,555 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-16 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,027 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | +23 bearers (+20.2%) | Up 10,555 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 16,027 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Leerssen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #125,282 | #141,309 | -12.8% |
| Count | 137 | 121 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leerssen bearers went from 137 to 121 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 16,027 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #141,309.
FAQ
Leerssen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leerssen?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Leerssen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Leerssen?
Leerssen ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Leerssen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Leerssen.
Has Leerssen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leerssen went from 137 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 16 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Leerssen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leerssen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leerssen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leerssen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Leerssen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Leerssen mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the word "leer" meaning "leather", likely referring to an occupation associated with leather-working. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Leerssen (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Leerssen?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Leerssen is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.